What size tree of saddle do I need for my horse??

Question

Is there an easy way to find out what your horse's saddle tree size is??? I have a 16.1hh Thoroughbred, what is the avrage size that this kind of horse would need (Sm, M, Lg, ect...)??? Any personal experiances out there??????

Plz let me know!!!! ASAP!

Answer 1

TBs generally fit well into a medium tree.  And yes...saddle fitting and size has EVERYTHING to do with the horse and rider.  As for you, you need to find out what INCH of seat you fit.  For instance Iam about 130 lbs and 5'5 - and I ride in a 16.5 inch comfortably.  And I have 2 3 yr old TBs who fit well into a med. tree.  So Just fit some saddles, see what fits best and your best bet is to come have someone fit the saddle for you.  Some suppliers offer this service free or at little charge.  

Good Luck and Happy Saddle Shopping! :)

EDIT**

You dont need to know the corresponding inches to tree size.  All you need to do is try on a narrow, medium and wide tree, fit the saddle properly and go with what one fits the most accurate.  Iam going to bet, 9 times out o 10 it will be the medium tree.  Some TBs even fit into a narrow but its rare that any horse requires a narrow fit tree.

Answer 2

To properly fit you and your horse, you need to measure YOUR seat size for yourself, then take a wire coat hanger and shape it to your horse's withers and take that to the saddle shop.

To measure yourself, you want to start at the outside of your leg at the knee and go up to your hip.  That will give you your seat size.

As for your TB, most fit in a med tree.

Answer 3

According to my saddler, wide, medium, and narrow tree widths vary from brand to brand. There are no standard widths and so there is not necessarily any correlation between say a medium tree and X cm width.

The only way to really know what size tree you need is to try some on and see how they sit on the horse's back. The seam of the saddle should be parallel to the horse's body.

Answer 4

Saddle size is based on the size of the rider i believe, not the horse.

Answer 5

You can buy saddle fitting tape, or use wire to take two measurements...One goes sideways over the wither and several inches down the sides.  The other goes vertically over the wither from the base of the neck to the end of the wither on the back.  take these with you when you purchase a saddle, or to try it with saddles at a shop so you know what size to order online.  the most important thing you will do for yourself and your horse, aside from hoof care, is to correctly fit the saddle you put onto your horse's back, so it's worth the extra effort to get it right.

Answer 6

an easy way is to take a coat hanger and bend it in the shape of the withers. at the highest part of the withers.

then you can put that to the tree of the saddle to see if it is the same fit.

and to shzacwgrl yes they are based off the persons size but also the horses.

the horses have to be comfortable too.

Answer 7

In my past experience without really having your horse sized...and I will go by brand here:

Pessoa = Medium

Cliff Barnsby = Medium-Wide (3)

Crosby = Medium

Stubben = Wide

Wintec= Medium

I have also used several other brand saddles produced by Dover Saddlery or SS Tack...a horse the size of yours would typically fit into a medium. To be honest when in doubt a medium is a good tree size to go with because you can pad it up to make it fit most horses well enough for short term riding.

Answer 8

He should fit into a medium tree.